This is a video from Cornell's Creative Machines Lab (for the last time: WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE CREATIVE MACHINES. Microwaves and vibrators -- that's it) featuring a robotic "jamming-based gripper" capable of picking up and throwing any object. The concept is simple: there's a balloon filled with coffee grounds that acts as the hand. It mushes itself around an object, at which point the air is sucked out of the balloon creating a vacuum, solidifying its grip. Then stabs you mercilessly. The video begins with a demonstration of the hand's gripping skills (including picking up an an egg and a glass of water), and ends showing off its throwing capabilities. How long till the hand is throwing javelins through people's faces? Details at 11. Get it? Like sometime between now and 11.

Hit the jump for the video, email me if you go to Cornell (ixnay on the espionageway).

Thanks to Rabbit, who lives in the forest with the rest of the woodland creatures but apparently still has internet access (I suspect he's friends with a bear).

Not much to say except this is genius. Also reminds me of the vacuum sealed Stretch Armstrong figure I had, it wasn't stretch himself but one of the enemy guys. You would stretch him to whatever strength or shape and then attach a hand powered vacuum pump to the top of his head and suck all the air out, posing the figure like that.